Egyptian death sentences for 683 Muslim Brotherhood supporters spark protest calls, global unease
Getty Images


On Monday, an Egyptian court sentenced Mohamed Badie, the leader of the now-outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, and 682 other Muslim Brotherhood supporters to death. The defendants were charged with inciting violence after the overthrow of President Mohamed Morsi last July.
There are now calls for protests in Cairo on Wednesday, Reuters reports, and the United States and United Nations are worried by the ruling. "Today's verdict, like the one last month, defies even the most basic standards of international justice," the White House said in a statement.
"The decisions are possibly the largest possible death sentences in recent world history," Sarah Leah Whitson at Human Right Watch told Reuters. "It seems as these sentences are aimed at striking fear and terror into the hearts of those who oppose the interim government."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Badie, a 70-year-old veterinary professor, is considered a "conservative hardliner," Reuters says, and was quoted as saying at one of his trials, "If they executed me 1,000 times I will not retreat from the right path."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
New tariffs set on 14 trading partners
Speed Read A new slate of tariffs will begin August 1 on imports from Japan, South Korea, Thailand and more
-
New tariffs set on 14 trading partners
Speed Read A new slate of tariffs will begin on August 1, with rates ranging from 25% to 40% on imports from Japan, South Korea, Thailand and more
-
Elon Musk launching 'America Party'
Speed Read The tech mogul promised to form a new political party if Trump's megabill passed Congress
-
Judge blocks Trump's asylum ban at US border
Speed Read The president violated federal law by shutting down the US-Mexico border to asylum seekers, said the ruling
-
Thai court suspends prime minister over leaked call
Speed Read Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been suspended, pending an ethics investigation
-
Senate passes GOP megabill after Alaska side deal
The pivotal yes vote came from Sen. Lisa Murkowski, whose support was secured following negotiated side deals for her home state Alaska
-
Trump sues LA over immigration policies
Speed Read He is suing over the city's sanctuary law, claiming it prevents local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities
-
Obama, Bush and Bono eulogize USAID on final day
Speed Read The US Agency for International Development, a humanitarian organization, has been gutted by the Trump administration